NARROWING

1

• NARROWING
• THE CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC DIVIDE
• IN THE DELIVERY OF
• HOME AND COMMUNITY CARE SERVICES

PRESENTER ELIZABETH MCGARRY SEPTEMBER 2006
2
What is it?

• A resource offering
• strategic guidance to increase
• the recruitment of bilingual workers into the
• Home and Community Care
• (HACC) sector

3
Who developed it?

• Migrant Resource Centre North West Region funded
  through
• the Victorian Government initiative - CEGS -
  Culturally Equitable Gateways Strategy

4
Why?

• To provide greater choices for people
• from CALD communities accessing
• HACC services.
• Research identified
• significant under-representation of CALD elderly
  in HACC service user populations. (Wositzky,2003)
• limited number of bilingual HACC workers
  available to provide services to CALD elderly
  appeared to be a deterrent.

5
Impact and Response

• Posed challenges for policymakers and service
  providers about service access, equity and
  responsiveness.
• Decision to focus on increasing the number of
  bilingual HACC workers available to provide
  support to CALD elderly -
• personal care
• home care
• respite

6
Who was involved?

• MRC North West in conjunction with -
• local governments (LGA) from the western suburbs
  of Melbourne
• ethno-specific welfare agencies providing
  services to CALD elderly

7
Demographic Context

• Western suburbs of Melbourne
• At 2001 Census, people born
• in a
• non-English speaking country (NESC)
• and aged 65 years
• accounted for 44
• (27,102 persons out of 61,595)
• 4,966 people grouped under other countries.
  (Wositzky 2003)

8
Policy Context

• HACC services in Victoria are delivered within
  the policy framework of the Charter of Public
  Service in a Culturally Diverse Society (1998).
• Relevant service principles include -
• Access
• Equity
• Responsiveness

9
Sectorial Context

• Project sits within the
• Culturally Equitable Gateways Strategy which aims
  to
• expand and improve the use of mainstream HACC
  basic services by people from CALD backgrounds.
  (www.dhs.vic.gov.au)

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Project Objective

• Increase
• the number of bilingual workers employed to
  deliver HACC services
• to
• CALD communities in Melbournes western suburbs

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Recruitment Strategy

• 1. Representational staffing strategy for larger
  LOTE-speaking communities
• 2. Alternative staffing strategy for smaller
  LOTE-speaking communities

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Larger LOTE-speaking Communities

• Workplace Language Assessment and Planning Tool
  (WLAPT)
• Step 1 - Assess linguistic profile
  of agency target population
• Step 2 - Assess linguistic profile of
• agency workforce
• Step 3 - Compare profiles to
  establish recruitment targets

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Workforce Language Assessment Worksheet
14
Linguistic Capacity of Workforce Worksheet
 
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Workforce Language Assessment Worksheet
 
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Targeted Recruitment

• Certificate III Aged Care HACC
• Traineeships
• Job Network Agencies
• Ethnic Media, Radio Print
• Ethno-specific agencies
• Word of mouth promotion

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Measure Maintain Progress

• Measure progress against set targets
• Identify factors inhibiting achievement
• Update population data
• Re-apply Workplace Language Assessment and
  Planning Tool
• Undertake targeted recruitment

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Smaller LOTE-speaking Communities

• Low numbers of residents from CALD
• background across a greater number of
• smaller communities challenges the
• viability of implementing the
• representational staffing strategy.

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Alternative Staffing Strategy for Smaller
LOTE-speaking Communities

• Brokerage Strategy Contracting-in (workers)
• from ethno-specific aged care providers
• from private, labour-hire firms
• Brokerage Strategy Contracting-out (service)
• to ethno-specific aged care providers
  currently operating at appropriate capacity

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Specialist Expertise

• In addition to all workers being trained in
  culturally responsive practice, develop a
  Specialist Team of workers
• highly developed skills in delivering culturally
  responsive services
• comprehensive knowledge of smaller LOTE-speaking
  communities
• Cultivation of working relationships with key
  members of smaller LOTE-speaking communities

21
Critical Role of ethno-specific providers and
CALD community groups

• Recruitment support
• Raising the profile of HACC work
• Partnership development
• Service contracting arrangements

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Broader Systemic Issues

• Inadequate supply of qualified job applicants
• Equitable access for bilingual students to
  Certificate III courses
• Training targeted to the needs of bilingual
  students
• Effective support for bilingual graduates during
  training, placement and workforce entry
• Partnerships with ethno-specific agencies and
  communities
• Arrangements with adjoining LGAs
• Work practices and remuneration

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Acknowledgements

• The strategies documented in the guide and
• highlighted in this presentation flow from the
  ideas of
• many who participated in the Project. They
  include -
•   
• Victorian Department of Human Services
• Local government areas of western
  Melbourne Maribyrnong
  Moonee Valley
• Hobsons Bay
  Brimbank
• Ethno-specific service providers
• Municipal Association of Victoria
• Ethnic Communities Council of
  Victoria
• CEGS Coordination Team for the WMA
• Council on The Ageing
• Management and staff of MRC North West
  Region

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Contact Details

• Elizabeth McGarry
• Aged and Disability Team Leader
• Migrant Resource Centre North West Region
• 45 Main Road West, St Albans 3021
• Email e_mcgarry_at_mrcnorthwest.org.au